Ames LakeWA
A town of 1,245.
Is Ames Lake a good place to live?
The best of Ames Lake’s subject grades are an A+ for incomes, health, and schools; the weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Ames Lake’s median household income is $250,000, above both the Washington town median ($98,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Only 5 of Washington’s 396 towns score higher on incomes. On the outdoors, just 9 of Washington’s 397 towns do worse. Ames Lake has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Ames Lake stand out
Where Ames Lake beats most towns.
1,245 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Ames Lake grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Ames Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Space Needle and 133 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ames Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
18 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
18 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
16 mi Stadium & arenaHusky StadiumPhoto credits
Space Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Husky Stadium: Atomic Taco, CC BY-SA 2.0
Moving to Ames Lake: who provides what
Ames Lake is unincorporated, so King County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ames Lake.
A smaller share of adults get no exercise outside work in Ames Lake than in most of Washington or the rest of the country
11% of adults get no exercise outside work in Ames Lake, against 18% in Washington’s towns and 25% across U.S. towns. 27% of Ames Lake adults sleep under 7 hours. Ames Lake beats the Washington average on 23 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Ames Lake | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 33% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 18% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ames Lake | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.7% | 10.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.5% | 9% |
| More binge drinkers | 18.9% | 16.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Ames Lake stands out in Washington and nationally, with fewer of its residents who live below the poverty line
1.1% of residents live below the poverty line in Ames Lake. Since 2013, Ames Lake has added 31 jobs, to 76 in 2023. 0.4% of working residents work locally in Ames Lake.
| Ames Lake | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 1.1% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.4% | 4.9% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ames Lake faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Ames Lake, expect mild winters and pleasant summers
Ames Lake has mild winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. Ames Lake’s July high is 75°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes in Ames Lake sell for about $1.35M
Among 286 Washington towns, just 1 have a higher share of households owning their home than Ames Lake.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Ames Lake
Colleges nearby
8 within 15 miles of the center of Ames Lake
About 3 of every 100 Ames Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
100% of working residents leave Ames Lake for work
Where Ames Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Ames Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ames Lake, WA expensive?
The typical home is worth about $1,225,000, 109% above the Washington typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.